old
Americanadjective
-
far advanced in the years of one's or its life.
an old man;
an old horse;
an old tree.
- Antonyms:
- young
-
of or relating to the latter part of the life or term of existence of a person or thing.
old age.
-
as if or appearing to be far advanced in years.
Worry had made him old.
-
having lived or existed for a specified time: a century-old organization.
a man 30 years old;
a century-old organization.
-
having lived or existed as specified with relation to younger or newer persons or things.
Jim is our oldest boy.
-
having been aged for a specified time.
This whiskey is eight years old.
-
having been aged for a comparatively long time.
old brandy.
-
long known or in use.
the same old excuse.
-
overfamiliar to the point of tedium.
Some jokes get old fast.
-
belonging to the past.
the good old days.
-
having been in existence since the distant past.
a fine old family.
-
no longer in general use.
Our dishwasher is an old model, so replacement parts are hard to find.
-
acquired, made, or in use by one prior to the acquisition, making, or use of something more recent.
When the new house was built, we sold the old one.
-
of, relating to, or originating at an earlier period or date.
old maps.
-
former; having been so formerly.
I ran into my old piano teacher the other day.
-
There may have been an old land bridge between Asia and Alaska.
-
Old, (of a language) in its oldest known period, as attested by the earliest written records.
Old Czech.
-
He's an old hand at welding.
-
of long standing; having been such for a comparatively long time.
an old and trusted employee.
-
(of colors) dull, faded, or subdued.
old rose.
-
deteriorated through age or long use; worn, decayed, or dilapidated.
old clothes.
-
Physical Geography. (of landforms) far advanced in reduction by erosion or the like.
-
sedate, sensible, mature, or wise.
That child seems old beyond his years.
-
(used to indicate affection, familiarity, disparagement, or a personalization): that dirty old jalopy.
good old Bob;
that dirty old jalopy.
-
Informal. (used as an intensive) great; uncommon.
a high old time.
noun
-
(used with a plural verb) Usually the old old persons collectively.
appropriations to care for the old.
-
a person or animal of a specified age or age group (used in combination): a horse race for three-year-olds.
a class for six-year-olds;
a horse race for three-year-olds.
-
old or former time, often time long past.
days of old.
adjective
-
having lived or existed for a relatively long time
an old man
an old tradition
old wine
an old house
an old country
-
-
of or relating to advanced years or a long life
old age
-
( as collective noun; preceded by the )
the old
-
people of all ages
-
-
decrepit or senile
-
worn with age or use
old clothes
an old car
-
-
(postpositive) having lived or existed for a specified period
a child who is six years old
-
( in combination )
a six-year-old child
-
( as noun in combination )
a six-year-old
-
-
(capital when part of a name or title) earlier or earliest of two or more things with the same name
the old edition
the Old Testament
old Norwich
-
(capital when part of a name) designating the form of a language in which the earliest known records are written
Old English
-
(prenominal) familiar through long acquaintance or repetition
an old friend
an old excuse
-
practised; hardened
old in cunning
-
cherished; dear: used as a term of affection or familiarity
good old George
-
informal (with any of several nouns) used as a familiar form of address to a person
old thing
old bean
old stick
old fellow
-
skilled through long experience (esp in the phrase an old hand )
-
out-of-date; unfashionable
-
remote or distant in origin or time of origin
an old culture
-
(prenominal) former; previous
my old house was small
-
-
(prenominal) established for a relatively long time
an old member
-
( in combination )
old-established
-
-
sensible, wise, or mature
old beyond one's years
-
(of a river, valley, or land surface) in the final stage of the cycle of erosion, characterized by flat extensive flood plains and minimum relief See also youthful mature
-
(intensifier) (esp in phrases such as a good old time, any old thing, any old how, etc)
-
(of crops) harvested late
-
an earlier period of time regarded as better than the present
-
informal indicating affection, esp humorous affection
my little old wife
-
informal a jocular name for Satan
noun
-
an earlier or past time (esp in the phrase of old )
in days of old
- any old
- chip off the old block
- comfortable as an old shoe
- dirty joke (old man)
- get the air (old heave-ho)
- no fool like an old fool
- of old
- ripe old age
- same old story
- settle a score (old scores)
- stamping ground, old
- teach an old dog new tricks
- up to one's old tricks
More idioms and phrases containing old
Usage
Many people nowadays prefer to talk about older people rather than old people , and the phrase the old is best avoided altogether
Other Word Forms
- oldish adjective
- oldness noun
Etymology
Origin of old
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English eald, ald; cognate with Dutch old, German alt, Gothic altheis; akin to Old Norse ala “to nourish”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Those affected include children as young as six months old, it reported.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
"There's another wave of country artists that are coming that is really into doing it the old school way and showing emotion," she said.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
Some of the “Comics Unleashed” episodes that have aired on CBS are more than 10 years old.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
Osteoblasts are responsible for building new bone, while osteoclasts break down old bone.
From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026
And then we saw something else, stacked in the far corner, a pile of old wooden benches.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
